Bangkok – Thailand’s rapidly ageing society is expected to lead to a major redesign and restructuring of the way Thai people live, work and move around in the years ahead. As many other countries are undergoing the same demographic transition, the changes will open up opportunities to attract more silver-aged visitors, too.

An exhibition of these products and services was held at Thailand’s IMPACT Muang Thong Thani Exhibition Centre between 1-4 December under the theme of “Ageing Society – Access for All”. It was organised by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and Friendly Design For All Foundation on dates that were integrated with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD).

In typical Thai style, the organisers threw in a beauty contest to boost the eyeball-count and labeled the event the “Miss Thailand Friendly Design Expo 2017”, the first of its kind in ASEAN. The contest attracted 127 applicants aged 18 – 27 years whose qualifications were judged by a line-up of “accomplished business leaders, philanthropists, and public figures.”

According to Krisana Lalai, President of Friendly Design For All Foundation, the job of the first “Miss Thailand Friendly Design” will be to promote the cause of equal rights for senior citizens and people with disabilities, the concept of “Tourism for All” and Thailand as a friendly tourist destination for people of all ages, gender and physical conditions.

The beauty contestants doing the traditional Thai dance, the ramwong, in a parade around the exhibition hall.

There was no doubt of the crowd-pulling appeal of the Miss Thailand Friendly Design beauty contest.

Because promoting the rights of senior citizens and PwDs is one of the objectives of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil covered the event in line with my long-standing commitment to the cause. My comprehensive pictorial roundup, unmatched by any other regional travel trade publication, follows below.

In September 2017, the Tourism Authority of Thailand launched pilot tourism routes in nine provinces to promote universal accessibility and the “Tourism for All” concept. They aim to encourage universal design, catering to disabled travelers at facilities and tourism attractions across Thailand.

TAT has launched a “Tourism for All” website and published a Thai-language guidebook – with Braille letters and a DVD – to help raise awareness and extend the range of universally accessible attractions around the Kingdom.

In addition to my exclusive photographs below, more visuals can be found by clicking on the following links:

During the 36th World Tourism Day event, held in Bangkok last year, the Thai government stated that it would “transform Thailand into the hub of universal design in ASEAN.” This would, in turn, help Thailand develop into an ideal “accessible tourism” country.

In 2015, a project was launched to develop Ko Kret, a small island in Nonthaburi province, as a universal design community model. This area is also a famous tourist site, where many facilities have been modified and improved for disabled persons. Later, various provinces in Thailand have adopted the “Ko Kret Universal Design Community Model” to promote social equality and provide opportunities for people with disabilities to have easy access to state services.

A ballroom dancing session under way right outside the entrance to the exhibition hall.

Peace Through Tourism

How Travel & Tourism Can Help Restore the Balance in the Emerging New World Order

"The travel & tourism buzzword of the 21st century will be the search for balance."

That forecast was made by Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor, Travel Impact Newswire, in the monthly strategic intelligence publication of PATA, the Pacific Asia Travel Association, way back in February 1999. Today, it is proving spot-on as the word "balance" resonates across all industry sectors.

Travel industry conferences seeking a speaker who can offer some unique historical hindsight, unconventional foresight and thought-provoking insight on how to rebuild and restore the balance in Asia Pacific travel & tourism can email Imtiaz Muqbil by clicking here.

There Can Be No Sustainability Without Spirituality

The New World Order will be dominated by a resurgence of spirituality.

Imtiaz Muqbil claims to be the world's only travel journalist to have visited the Holy Spots of all the major world religions -- Lumbhini, Bodhgaya, Varanasi, Nalanda, Jerusalem, Vatican City, Amritsar, Makkah, Madinah, Najaf and Karbala, as well as religious spots such as Angkor Wat, Bagan, Shwedagon Pagoda, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Temple of The Tooth, Somnath Temple, Samarkand, Bukhara and many other great mosques, shrines, temples and cathedrals worldwide.

Sustainability, ecotourism and health & wellness travel have all become so 'yesterday'. Prepare for the new generation of travel in the New World Order and raise the bar of your next conference, management forum or seminar by hearing Imtiaz Muqbil's thoughts on this unmatched game- and life-changing experience.

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Secrets of Thailand's Tourism Success

Why the Amazing Kingdom is notching up record-breaking arrivals, and what challenges it faces next

The Thai tourism industry has become by far the Kingdom's most successful service sector, one of its leading job-creators and foreign exchange-earners. Behind this success lies a fascinating history of great branding campaigns, policy and regulatory changes, budgetary bunfights, strategic thinking and influence of Royal events.

But this success has now bred a new set of management challenges that may be more difficult to overcome.

Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil has been monitoring the pulse of the Thai travel industry full-time since 1981. Industry conferences and management meetings wishing to benefit from a treasure trove of insights and hindsights on one of the world's great tourism success stories can drop an email here: imtiaz@travel-impact-newswire.com.

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The Rise of the Whistle-Blowers

For 15 years (January 1997-July 2012), Imtiaz Muqbil penned a hard-hitting fortnightly column called “Soul-Searching” in the so-called “newspaper you can trust”. In July 2012, the column was gagged, with no explanation.

Over the years, four columns had explicitly forecast the rise of whistle-blowers -- a prediction now coming 100% true. Read the four columns by clicking on the links below.

Too Bad Your Ad Is Not in This Spot

Space available for unique ads that demonstrate commitment to helping physically-challenged people, building global peace, improving social and cultural cohesion, providing opportunities for the under-privileged, alleviating poverty and combatting global injustice & corruption.

If your product is not meeting any of the above goals, please advertise elsewhere.

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News Vs Noise

A Unique Course for Travel & Tourism Communicators In The Internet Era

By far the vast majority of media communications in the travel industry is boring, banal and bland. The same way it has been for the last 30 years.

Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil has designed a special communications course to help upgrade both the context and the content of industry media material, and make it more interesting, readable and, most important, relevant.